Amagansett Travel Guide (2026): Best Restaurants, Beaches & Where to Stay
Amagansett sits between East Hampton and Montauk on the East End of Long Island — quieter than the former, less windswept than the latter, and better for it. It has the things that make the Hamptons worth the trip: good beaches, excellent food, a walkable main street with genuinely interesting shopping, and a pace that slows you down whether you arrive in July or November. It's not trying to be East Hampton. That's the whole point.
We go in multiple seasons. Here's what we'd tell someone going for the first time.
Where to Stay in Amagansett
Roundtree Hotel — By far the nicest place to stay in Amagansett. Set quietly away from the main road with easy beach access. The design is right, the service is warm, and it's the kind of property that makes the town feel like a destination rather than a stopover.
Airbnb — Worth mentioning as a genuine alternative. Amagansett is full of wood-shingled houses on quiet lanes that rent well and give you more space than any hotel room, particularly for families. Look for one with an outdoor shower for summer or a fireplace for winter — both are widely available and make a meaningful difference to the experience.
Where to Eat
Breakfast & Coffee
Jack's Stir Brew — The first stop of any morning in Amagansett. Open early, coffee is good, and the walk to the dunes afterward with something warm in hand is the right way to start a day here.
Carissa's The Bakery — Rustic, excellent, the kind of bakery that justifies getting up earlier than you planned. Fresh bread, seasonal pastries, good for takeout to the beach or eating in.
Amber Waves Café — Farm-fresh, seasonal, relaxed. Good for a slow breakfast or lunch, particularly with kids.
Felice's — Tiny, neighborhood feel, good smoothies and grain bowls. The spot for a quick breakfast after a beach walk.
Lunch & Casual Dinner
Coche Comedor — The best casual meal in Amagansett. Vibrant Mexican right off Main Street — sit at the bar, order mezcal cocktails, get the fish tacos and wood-fired shrimp. Go for lunch or an early dinner.
Doubles — A newer addition with a laid-back atmosphere and more creative cooking than the surroundings suggest. Good for a meal when you want something interesting without dressing up.
Stuart's Seafood Market — Fresh lobster rolls, steamed clams, the whole East End spread. The move is to grab food here and wine from Amber Waves next door and eat outside. One of the better casual meals you can put together in the Hamptons.
The Lobster Roll (Napeague) — Technically just outside Amagansett toward Montauk, but iconic enough to include. Casual, good, particularly fun with kids for a midday stop.
Dinner
Il Buco al Mare — The best dinner in Amagansett. A sister restaurant to the New York City original, with Mediterranean seafood and pasta in a beautiful minimalist setting. The right choice for a special evening. Book ahead in summer.
Meeting House — Warm, seasonal American cooking with a menu that rotates and takes local ingredients seriously. Consistently good and considerably less difficult to book than Il Buco.
Rowdy Hall — Now relocated from East Hampton to Amagansett. A gastropub that does elevated burgers and bar food well. The right choice for a rainy night when nobody wants to plan around it.
Ulla Johnson Store in Amagansett
Shopping
Amagansett has the best concentration of genuinely interesting shopping in the Hamptons outside of East Hampton village itself.
Ulla Johnson — The flagship store. Breezy dresses in summer, rich textures in fall and winter. Worth going in regardless of season.
Pink Chicken — The best option for kids' clothes on the East End. Seasonal, well-designed, the kind of thing you actually want to put children in.
Love Adorned — Jewelry, textiles, and objects that are interesting enough to buy for yourself and good enough to give as gifts. Hard to leave empty-handed.
Amber Waves Farm Store — Organic produce, local wines, fresh bread, flowers, and picnic provisions from one of the best farms on the East End. More than a farm stand — worth building a morning around.
Best Beaches
Indian Wells Beach — The best family beach in Amagansett. Calm water, soft sand, less crowded than the beaches closer to East Hampton. Good for a full day with kids.
Atlantic Avenue Beach — The classic East End spot. Lifeguards in summer, long and open for walking in the off-season. Where you go for a proper beach day.
Napeague State Park — Uncrowded dunes and hiking trails for anyone who wants a break from the beach scene. Worth knowing about in any season.
Ditch Plains (Montauk) — A short drive east with a completely different character — surfers, dramatic cliffs, food trucks in summer. Good for a half-day excursion.
Seasonal Events
Spring — The egg hunt at Amagansett Square is a genuine local event — small, unpretentious, good for families.
Summer — Amagansett Square hosts live music and food pop-ups through the season. The farm stands are at their best. Book everything well ahead — the town fills up from Memorial Day through Labor Day.
Fall — Pumpkin picking and farm tours at Amber Waves. The crowd thins out dramatically after Labor Day and the weather stays good well into October. Arguably the best time to visit.
Winter — Quiet beach walks and wood-fired dinners. Most restaurants stay open on weekends year-round, though hours get limited. Good for a low-key long weekend when the East End feels like it belongs to you.
Getting There
About two and a half hours from New York City by car in normal traffic — longer on Friday afternoons heading east in summer, when the Long Island Expressway turns into a parking lot. The LIRR from Penn Station to Amagansett station takes about three hours and avoids the traffic entirely, which is worth considering for a summer weekend.
FAQs About Amagansett
Is Amagansett worth visiting? Yes — particularly if you want the Hamptons experience without the East Hampton or Southampton crowds and prices. It's the right combination of good food, good beaches, and genuine character.
What is Amagansett known for? Its beaches, its farm stands (particularly Amber Waves), and a restaurant scene that punches above its size. It's also known for being quieter and more local in feel than the Hamptons towns closer to New York.
Is Amagansett good for families? Yes — Indian Wells Beach is one of the best family beaches on the East End, the town is walkable, and the pace is relaxed enough that it doesn't feel like you're managing logistics constantly.
When is the best time to visit Amagansett? Late September through October is the sweet spot — summer weather lingers, crowds thin dramatically, and the farm stands and most restaurants are still operating. July and August are the busiest and most expensive months but the most energetic.